Owen Ayers has been on another level this season.
Ayers, the Cubs’ No. 9 prospect, put together a four-hit game on Sunday for Double-A Knoxville, his second such performance this month. The Smokies, however, fell 10-5 to Birmingham at Regions Field.
Ayers’ big day got going early, as he laced a two-out double that hopped off the wall in center field. He scored on another double from Alex Ramírez in the ensuing at-bat.
Ayers, a switch-hitting catcher, then poked a line-drive single to left field in the third inning. Andy Garriola then drove him in with a two-out double.
In a sign of just how well things are breaking for Ayers right now, he reached in the fifth inning with a swinging-bunt single toward third base. Edgar Alvarez drove him in this time with a three-run home run, giving Knoxville its only lead of the day at 5-3. But Birmingham took it right back with two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.
COMPLETE CUBS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Ayers also walked in the sixth inning and looped a two-out single to right field in the eighth.
Ayers has been scorching hot all season, earning him a mid-April callup to Double-A, and this past week was no different. He went 9-for-17 since last Monday, including two home runs, one double, two RBIs and six walks.
The 25-year-old Ayers was a late bloomer after becoming a 19th-round selection in the 2024 Draft, using an excellent Arizona Fall League performance last season to jumpstart his ascent through the Minor Leagues. He’s now hitting an eye-popping .455/.551/.830 in June, with a more than healthy 1.113 OPS across two levels in 2026.